By 2020, the amount of data stored in IT systems will be doubled compared to 2018. Given this scenario, it seems logical that the demand for professionals with analytical and data management capabilities is growing, something we have already spoken about on numerous occasions.

One way to boost the learning of these skills is through open data and its use in the classroom as another educational resource. The development of collaborative projects where students have to search and filter information, analyse data or generate visualizations have a place in almost all subjects. With this type of project, students can acquire a great diversity of capacities: from the use of technological tools and the capacity for analysis and argumentation, to the improvement of so-called soft skills such as teamwork - also fundamental for professional development -.

The first step: train teachers

One of the fundamental pillars for open data to be integrated into classrooms is the previous training of teachers. In this sense, programs such as Use (Open Research) Data in Teaching project (UDIT) try to help higher education professors to be able to use open research data in their classes. Among other activities, the website offers courses that show good practices and examples of learning activities based on the reuse of open data.

Along the same lines, the National Library of Spain and Red.es have created the BNEscolar educational platform with digital content prepared from the documentary collection of the Hispanic Digital Library. The website includes a search engine to facilitate the location of the desired resources, as well as workshops, videos, educational sequences and interactive challenges (such as an escape game). The contents of BNEscolar are aimed at pre-university students, with special focus on the latest levels of Primary and Secondary Education.

Contests and activities to boost the use of data in classrooms

In addition to these platforms, concrete activities, contests and challenges that seek to promote the use of open data among the youngest citizens are also increasingly common. Examples are the Reto BCN Dades Obertes or the Open Data Contest of Castilla y León, which included a special prize for students in each of the main categories, as well as a specific category for the creation of teaching resources that could be used in the classrooms. Another example is Escuelas Comciencia initiative, created by the Observatory of Scientific Communication and the Cyberimaginary research group, where students learn to carry out a research project using open data.

But we can also find such initiatives internationally. The programs developed by Technovation stand out here, aimed at identifying problems in student communities and solving them using disruptive technologies. An example is Technovation Girls, aimed at girls around the world. This program seeks to teach girls how to identify a problem and brainstorm ideas to solve it, and create an application to launch a business. Also noteworthy is the AI ​​Family challenge contest, which brings learning to the family environment, another of the fundamental foundations of children's education. The AI ​​Family Challenge invites families to learn about Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and solve a problem using data tools and AI systems. The original approach of the contest, in which parents and children combine their abilities and learn together in a fun way, has driven the success: 7,500 people from 13 countries participated in the first edition. The deadline for submitting to the second edition will be open until February 2020.

The importance of government involvement

The results obtained in all the previously highlighted activities have been very positive, clearly showing the benefits of incorporating open data in classrooms: the improvement of technological and analytical capabilities, but also of critical thinking.

But if you want to go one step further, it would be advisable to incorporate open data directly into educational plans. This is what Switzerland has done through the Lehrplan21 plan, adopted to standardize education in the 21 German-speaking and multilingual cantons. The plan includes the learning of basic concepts related to data in the educational itinerary: structures, formats, management and analysis of databases, etc.

These types of measures are essential if we want to promote more active learning, where open data helps students to better understand their environment, in a reasoned way, to become the professionals that our future needs.

Open data is one of the key elements of smart cities. The collection of information, its analysis and its use make possible to address many of the challenges facing cities today, such as the creation of public services that respond to a growing population.

Among all the open datasets that are published related to cities, real-time data provides multiple advantages. Knowing the situation of our cities in real time can serve to make decisions and improve efficiency in urban mobility, energy management or environmental conditions, among other aspects.

In this context, the report "Open data in real time: use cases for smart cities" seeks to boost the opening of this type of data showing the advantages of its use. The report analyses the relationship between open data and smart cities, and shows a series of datasets that local entities should publish in real time, according to the report “Open Data 2019 - 40 datasets to be published by Local Entities”,  elaborated by the FEMP (Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces). These data sets belong to the fields of transport and mobility - public car park, public bicycles, traffic, public transport - and the environment - air quality and noise pollution.

Each dataset has been analysed highlighting some use cases and reuse examples, paying special attention to the positive impact they have on citizens. The technologies involved in its deployment, the stakeholders or future challenges, among other factors, have also been addressed.

The conclusions of the analysis are collected in each of the files that you can see below:

Datasets

 

You can also download the full report and other additional materials using the following links:

In the digital world, data becomes a fundamental asset for companies. Thanks to them, they can better understand their environment, business and competition, and make convenient decisions at the right time.

In this context, it is not surprising that an increasing number of companies are looking for professional profiles with advanced digital capabilities. Workers who are able to search, find, process and communicate exciting stories based on data.

The report "How to generate value from data: formats, techniques and tools to analyse open data" aims to guide those professionals who wish to improve the digital skills highlighted above. It explores different techniques for the extraction and descriptive analysis of the data contained in the open data repositories.

The document is structured as follows:

• Data formats. Explanation of the most common data formats that can be found in an open data repository, paying special attention to csv and json.
• Mechanisms for data sharing through the Web. Collection of practical examples that illustrate how to extract data of interest from some of the most popular Internet repositories.
• Main licenses. The factors to be considered when working with different types of licenses are explained, guiding the reader towards their identification and recognition.
• Tools and technologies for data analysis. This section becomes slightly more technical. It shows different examples of extracting useful information from open data repositories, making use of some short code fragments in different programming languages.
• Conclusions. A technological vision of the future is offered, with an eye on the youngest professionals, who will be the workforce of the future.

The report is aimed at a general non-specialist public, although those readers familiar with data treatment and sharing o in the web world will find a familiar and recognizable reading.

Next, you can then download the full text, as well as the executive summary and a presentation.

Note: The published code is intended as a guide for the reader, but may require external dependencies or specific settings for each user who wishes to run it.

In the current context of digital transformation, all sectors are adapting to respond to the efficiency and agility improvement needs that society demands today. One of the areas where this change is most necessary is the agricultural and forestry sector.

The growth of the world population, climate change, or the depopulation of rural areas, something of particular concern in the specific case of Spain, make a paradigm shift necessary: a higher quantity of food must be generated, more quickly and sustainable with the environment.

To deepen this problem and its possible solutions, from the Aporta Initiative we have prepared the report “How open data can boost the agricultural and forestry sector”. The objective of the report is to promote the use of open data in the process of digital transformation of the agricultural and forestry sectors. Additionally, the report also focuses on water management as an element of great importance in the value chain.

The report is structured as follows:

• The first part begins with the analysis of the role that digital transformation is playing in solving the main challenges facing the agricultural and forestry sectors, highlighting the open data contribution as part of this process.
• In the second part, a series of repositories are compiled to find open data sets potentially useful to support digital transformation in these sectors.
• For the third part of the report, a series of relevant use cases have been selected in digital transformation in the agricultural and forestry sectors, both nationally and internationally and in which open data have a prominent role.

The report ends with the presentation of a series of conclusions drawn from the analysis work carried out.

It is therefore a must-read document for those interested in promoting improvements in areas such as precision agriculture, promoting a more efficient and sustainable agricultural and forestry sector. It should also be noted its great usefulness as a mechanism to understand the current scenario and source of inspiration for the participants in the Aporta 2019 Challenge.

A few months ago we published a compilation of the main reports, studies, success stories and courses published by the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN). This body seeks the proactive sharing of freely accessible data to make information on agriculture and nutrition available, accessible and usable.

To achieve this goal, GODAN has different teams that work in a coordinated manner for a common goal. One of them is the Capacity Development Work Group, focused on promoting open data knowledge (ongoing initiatives, innovations and good practices), as well as the development of new capacities. All of them to guarantee a more effective accessibility, use, engagement and understanding of open data.

In 2017, this group launched Godan webinar services, in order to offer a series of webinars organized in collaboration with the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTA). The videos, which last between 40 minutes and one hour, help to delve into different concepts: they explain how an open data initiative on agriculture should work, or how to tell stories with data to raise organizations and citizens’ awareness. Some of the organizations that have participated in the preparation of the contents are the Open Data Institute (ODI), Wageningen UR or The Land Portal Foundation, among others.

Here are some of the resources that can be found in Godan webinar services:

In addition to these more general webinars, Godan webinar services also offers specific resources, where different initiatives tell their experience when publishing or reusing open data on agriculture and nutrition. An example is the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), which shows some of the projects in which it is involved in one of the videos.

In short, whether you are a public body that wants to start or consolidate an open data initiatives on agriculture, or a reuser looking for examples and success stories to inspire you, Godan webinar services can provide resources and information of interest.

Why are open data important? What is their relationship with open government? How can I start an initiative of this kind? Who can I take as a reference? These are some of the questions that the Open Data Guide: Publication and reuse of Open Data as an initiative of Open Government in the Administration tries to answer

Prepared by the Ministry of Development and Environment of the Junta de Castilla y León, this guide is part of the Rural Digital Community (CRD), a collaboration project between Public Administrations of Portugal and Spain. The objective of the project is to improve the technological innovation of rural institutions, promoting cooperation and competitiveness.

The guide is divided into 5 sections: introduction to open data, current status of open government and open data, open data implementation , innovative solutions and success stories, and conclusions.

In the first introductory section, perfect for those unfamiliar with the open data world, some basic concepts are reviewed. The report focuses on open government as a sociopolitical mode of interaction based on 4 pillars - transparency, accountability, participation and collaboration - which can be promoted and improved thanks to open data. All this is explained in this section, which also describes the principles that data must meet to be considered open.

Next, the report address the current situation of open government and open data in Spain, Portugal and Europe, including existing regulations. In the case of Spain, the report highlights the existence of almost 300 initiatives, included in the initiatives map of datos.gob.es, as well as more than 660 companies that reuse information, with a business volume higher than 1,700 million euros per year. These data, together with the good position of Spain in the European Open Data Maturity Landscaping 2018 report, show the good momentum of open data in our country.

The third section of the report focuses on the implementation of open data in an organization. To facilitate this process, the authors of the guide have drawn up a plan with a series of stages that are detailed in the report:

Finally, the report shows several examples of innovative solutions and success stories, based on 2 criteria:

• Examples of open data portals, which stand out for their functionality, such as Aragon Open Data or the download center of the National Geographic Institute (IGN), among others.
• Examples of good practices regarding reuse, due to their innovative nature and the economic or social value they generate. Examples of different sectors are included, such as real estate (TerceroB), meteorological (Meteogrid), public procurement (EuroAlert) or data journalism and public transparency (Civio).

The report concludes with a series of conclusions, such as the need to improve the training of both public employees who are immersed in data opening and companies and individuals to promote the use and analysis of data.

Below you can download the full report and delve into all of these sections.

In 2017, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) published the guide "Open data: strategic guide for its implementation and minimum datasets to be published", which included a series of recommendations and guidelines for public data opening with the aim of driving its publication and reuse. In addition to information related to legal framework or governance model, the guide also included 20 datasets considered as "the most interesting, possible and easier to publish by public administrations".

After the guide success, the FEMP has continued working on expanding these datasets, identifying 20 new ones that will make possible to standardize the publication of open data and facilitate its management. For this, the FEMP count on the help of a multidisciplinary working group where different interest groups were represented: cities, citizens, companies, universities and public bodies.

The result is a new document, entitled Open Data FEMP 2019: 40 datsets to be published by the Local Entities, whose objective is to provide a "common open data model that facilitates interoperability and the reuse of public sector information", as well as to bring Spanish local entities’ commitment to normalize open data closer to the international community.

This new guide addresses not only what datasets should be published by local entities, but also how they should be published to make them more useful for citizens and reusers. Using different tabs - one for each recommended dataset – the report indicated the recommended format or update frequency when publishing each dataset. The guide also indicates each dataset reuse value or complexity (based on a scale from 1 to 5), as well as some recommended visualization to make easier citizens access to information.

The document is mainly oriented to medium to large cities, although smaller municipalities can also use it as a knowledge framework. It can help companies, citizens, universities, entrepreneurs, researchers, data journalists, students, etc. interested in the subject, although, the roles that can make the most of the information are:

• Those responsible for developing or that have to develop open data policies.
• Those responsible for Open Government policies (transparency, participation, accountability, collaboration).
• Those responsible for the development of Information Technology.
• Those responsible for "Smart Cities" and Innovation projects.

The following image shows which are the 40 datasets recommended in the document:

Here you can download the full report (in Spanish, with an executive summary in English):

The Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative, known by the acronym GODAN, aims to support "the proactive sharing of open data to make information about agriculture and nutrition available, accessible and usable." To this end, GODAN fosters dialogue and cooperation in agricultural activities between more than 760 members, including governments, private companies, international organizations or NGOs.

Through different working groups, GODAN contributes to share ideas and experiences to solve key problems and challenges in the agriculture and nutrition sectors, using open data. Some of these challenges are ridding the world of famine, ensuring food security, improving nutrition or facilitating sustainable agriculture.

In order to help more companies, organizations and citizens to be aware of the importance of open data to solve these challenges, GODAN promotes the creation and dissemination of resources that drive both providers and users reflection on agricultural open data. Among these documents, we can find:

• Reports, which analyze different challenges and include recommendations or good practices aimed at enriching the available information about agriculture and nutrition, encouraging their analysis and reuse.
• Success stories, which can be used as an example for those organizations interested in being part of this ecosystem, but do not know how to take advantage of open data to generate new initiatives that add value to the sector and solve the aforementioned challenges.
• Courses aimed at strengthening data producers and consumers capacity to manage and use open data in agriculture and nutrition sector.

We have compiled some of these resources, described in the following table:

To learn more about GODAN resources, you can visit their website publications section. In this section, which is periodically updated with new publications, users will find more documents and reports related to open data in agriculture. The dissemination of these contents can help develop high-level policies, and support the private sector for opening more data, which is fundamental to overcome important challenges for humanity.

The amount of data we generate does not stop growing. 90% of the data created in the history of humanity were produced during the last year and a 40% annual growth is estimated for the next decade. These figures highlight the importance of data in today's economy and society. The data provide us with knowledge, which facilitate to make the right decisions at the right time.

To optimize the advantages that the use of data can bring to our day to day, an increasing number of organizations and companies are implementing new technologies that help to improve their management and obtain greater value. The report New trends and challenges in the data world analyzes some of these technological and social trends that are revolutionizing the world of data. These technologies are big data and artificial intelligence, decision algorithms, internet of things and blockchain.

The following are some of the main conclusions of the report:

Big Data and Artificial Intelligence

• What is it? The analysis of large volumes of data, from different sources and with different formats, in real time, acquires a new dimension combined with artificial intelligence technologies, which apply reason guidelines to data.
• What are its advantages? Thanks to these technologies, companies and organizations can better understand the current and future functioning of their environment, and face the challenges at the right time. The combination of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data can boost economic growth, respond to citizens needs and optimize public services. In addition, it can contribute to the strengthening of democracy.
• What are its challenges? The lack of talent with the necessary skills, the limitation in current infrastructures and the privacy protection are the main challenges that organizations have to face when implementing a Big Data initiative.

The decision algorithms

• What is it? These are automated agents capable of extracting value from a large volume of data in an agile and efficient way, facilitating automatic decision making.
• What are its advantages? Decision algorithms allow more efficient, transparent and equitable decision making.
• What are its challenges? Among the challenges faced by people in charge of algorithms management is ensuring the quality and availability of data through controls and audits, as well as ensuring their integrity, ethics and independence.

Internet of Things

• What is it?  When we talk about Internet of Things (IoT) we refer to a network of connected objects, by wireless or cable, capable of generating data without human intervention.
• What are its advantages? IoT facilitates processes automation and provides new and multiple forms of interaction that contribute to improving universality and accessibility to services.
• What are its challenges? The main inhibitors of IoT are security and privacy, interoperability and the need for new infrastructures. It is also important to bear in mind that IoT can contribute to increasing the existing gap between different social classes according to their possibilities of data and services access.

Blockchain

• What is it? Blockchain is a distributed database that controls the transfer of digital information. That is, a kind of account book where the records are encrypted and interleaved, so change in one of the blocks affects the others.
• What are its advantages? Its main advantage is the security and privacy of information, the integrity, the sustainability, the transparency and the (quasi) anonymity. This will allow us to transform our political system and enable profound social changes.
• What are its challenges?
• The lack of qualified talent, the regulatory changes, the electronic security of citizens and the limits on institutions ability to adapt the new enviroment are the main challenges highlighted in the report.

Thanks to Big Data and artificial intelligence, decision algorithms, Internet of Things or Blockchain, organizations and companies can extract the necessary value from the data, which will help them to improve services and products for citizens. Although these four technologies are still in a phase of incipient adoption, they are expected to grow rapidly over the next few years, once the above-mentioned challenges are overcome - if you want to delve into these challenges you can read the report New trends and challenges in the world of data.

As a result of transparency and citizen participation demand, an increasing number of towns are focus on initiatives that facilitate citizen access to institutions and administrations´ information. However, defining, implementing and documenting an open data policy could be a challenging issue. Some of the most frequently asked questions by agents involved in these initiatives are:

•  Which data are more strategic and which fundamental aspect should be consider at publishing? 

• How could I facilitate datasets integration from different sources?

• What is the regulatory framework?

In this context, AENOR elaborated the Technical Standard UNE 178301: 2015. It provides a series of recommendations to standardize open data publication and improve data management. This Technical Standard includes a list of 11 datasets considered a priority by AENOR: shops catalog, cultural agenda, population (municipal census), air quality, contracts, initial budget and budget in execution, public parking, regular bus, traffic situation, tourist interest points and street guide.

In addition, Technical Standard UNE 178301: 2015 includes recommended vocabulary to optimize data publication, framed within Linked Data paradigm (a set of best practices, articulated through W3C standard technologies). The objective is to facilitate the development of a data website where different elements can be linked, simplifying navigation and data location, within a common international framework.

The report "Open data representation vocabulary in Digital Cities" provides an analysis of this Technical Standard. It include the description of each dataset, potential use cases and legislative framework- when applicable–, and common publication formats. In addition, the report includes an assessment of AENOR´s semantic proposal adequacy and development degree.